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The differences between quality engineers and quality specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, which is higher than the $65,230 average annual salary of a quality specialist.
The top three skills for a quality engineer include corrective action, continuous improvement and ISO. The most important skills for a quality specialist are customer service, data analysis, and continuous improvement.
| Quality Engineer | Quality Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,672 | $65,230 |
| Hourly rate | $38.30 | $31.36 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 96,838 | 80,316 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Quality control senior scientists ensure that testing, materials, and laboratory equipment are up to standard. In the course of their career, they can expect to perform tests for the quality of manufacturing processes in order to ensure compliance with predetermined criteria, as well as ensuring that final products are safe for sale or distribution. This is a career that requires the skills of teamwork, communication, writing, and prioritization. Also, good attention to detail and some technical skills will be needed.
Quality engineers and quality specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Engineer | Quality Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,672 | $65,230 |
| Salary range | Between $61,000 And $103,000 | Between $43,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a quality engineer and a quality specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Engineer | Quality Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between quality engineers' and quality specialists' demographics:
| Quality Engineer | Quality Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% | Male, 44.7% Female, 55.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 11% |